Most Anticipated Titles for 2018

Although I have a huge stack of books in the queue – I’ve only listed about a third of them here on the site – there are some releases coming out this year that I’d like to get my hands on, and I’ve always wanted to do one of these lists. So here is a list of the books I’m looking forward to acquiring the most this year, in no particular order:

2018 NEW RELEASES

The Grey Bastards (hard cover on June 19th)

From Orbit Books: “You might have heard of The Grey Bastards because it won Mark Lawrence’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off 2016 – meaning that a panel of ten top fantasy bloggers picked it as the winner out of hundreds of entries. And this win was thoroughly deserved . . . This fantasy debut is brimming with raucous energy.

It’s the story of Jackal – who is proud to be a Grey Bastard, a member of a sworn brotherhood of half-orcs. Unloved and unwanted in civilized society, the Bastards eke out a hard life in the desolate no-man’s-land called the Lots, protecting frail and noble human civilization from invading bands of vicious full-blooded orcs . . .

Jonathan’s voice stood out to us as one of the freshest we’ve read in years. The story overflows with crisp dialogue, blood-soaked action, an entertaining sardonic voice and a wonderfully compelling cast of characters. It’s an irresistible action tale that will thrill readers of fantasy such as Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, Stan Nicholl’s Orcs series and Markus Heitz’s Dwarves series.”

This sounds really cool and I’m stoked it is being released as in hard back format…

Senlin Ascends (released in paperback on January 16th) and Arm of the Sphinx (paperback on March 13th)

Senlin Ascends (from Amazon): “The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of luxury and menace, of unusual animals and mysterious machines.

Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, gets separated from his wife, Marya, in the overwhelming swarm of tourists, residents, and miscreants.

Senlin is determined to find Marya, but to do so he’ll have to navigate madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassins, and the illusions of the Tower. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just endure.

This quiet man of letters must become a man of action.”

Arm of the Sphinx (from Amazon) (SPOILER ALERT): “The Tower of Babel is proving to be as difficult to reenter as it was to break out of. Forced into a life of piracy, Senlin and his eclectic crew are struggling to survive aboard their stolen airship as the hunt to rescue Senlin’s lost wife continues.

Hopeless and desolate, they turn to a legend of the Tower, the mysterious Sphinx. But help from the Sphinx never comes cheaply, and as Senlin knows, debts aren’t always what they seem in the Tower of Babel.

Time is running out, and now Senlin must choose between his friends, his freedom, and his wife.

Does anyone truly escape the Tower?”

These sound incredibly innovate and unique to me. Some reviewers reference steampunk elements, while all say that the sequel is nearly as good or better than the first (Kindle reviews). Although these will be paperback acquisitions and not hard cover, I’m going to gamble on at least the first and spring for the sequel if all goes well…

The Traitor God (paperback on June 5th)

From Amazon: “A city threatened by unimaginable horrors must trust their most hated outcast, or lose everything, in this crushing epic fantasy debut.

After ten years on the run, dodging daemons and debt, reviled magus Edrin Walker returns home to avenge the brutal murder of his friend. Lynas had uncovered a terrible secret, something that threatened to devour the entire city. He tried to warn the Arcanum, the mageocracy who rule the city. He failed.

Lynas was skinned alive and Walker felt every cut. Now nothing will stop him from finding the murderer. Magi, mortals, daemons, and even the gods – Walker will burn them all if he has to.

After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s killed a god…”

The cover art is gorgeous, but it’s the premise – unimaginable horrors? Outcast? A mageocracy? A guy skinned alive? Killed a god…wait, what? This sounds so epic and right up my alley. Thanks to The Fantasy Hive for turning me on to this one. I hope Cameron Johnston is already considering a sequel…

The Shadow King (paperback, 2018, no release date yet)

I really enjoyed Alec Hutson’s The Crimson Queen and although there aren’t a lot of details yet, I will definitely be grabbing the sequel when it is released some time later this year…

PREVIOUS YEAR RELEASES

Fool’s Quest and Assassin’s Fate

Oh, you KNOW I’m going to get these regardless of how I feel about Fool’s Assassin! It’s just a matter of time…

Paternus

I find urban fantasy to be a bit hit and miss, but I love mythology and there are so many great reviews that I will take a chance on it…

What Remains of Heroes

I’m not sure how I feel about this one, but I will probably take a chance on it as well…

The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble’s Braids

I’m not typically a fan of thief stories, but like Paternus there are so many great reviews I feel like I need to give this one a fighting chance too…

One thought on “Most Anticipated Titles for 2018”

“I hope Cameron Johnston is already considering a sequel…” Now if only The Traitor God does well enough to get a book 2 & 3, then the magic and monsters will be turned up to 12 🙂
I hope you enjoy it! Especially as a debut author, I really do appreciate the interest that’s being shown by readers and bloggers, it means a lot to me.